(3 minutes read)
· Jihadist attacks in northern Ivory Coast have ramped up hostility towards the Fulani, a mainly Muslim ethnic group that some accuse, is providing cadres to the militant groups
· In Kafolo, a small town near the border with Burkina Faso, jihadists had struck twice in less than 18 months, killing 16 soldiers
· No one had claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Jihadist attacks in northern Ivory Coast have ramped up hostility towards the Fulani, a mainly Muslim ethnic group that some accuse, is providing cadres to the militant groups. In Kafolo, a small town near the border with Burkina Faso, jihadists had struck twice in less than 18 months, killing 16 soldiers.
No one had claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Ivorian authorities have said they were the work of foreign nationals. But the fingers usually get pointed at Fulani — semi-nomadic herders who are scattered across several countries in West Africa and often cross the porous border with Burkina Faso to graze their oxen in Ivory Coast. After the June 2020 attack, many Fulani who had been part of the community left overnight.
One Fulani in Kafolo, going by the pseudonym of Amadou, said he had spent three and a half months in prison in Korhogo, the main city in northern Ivory Coast, because he was suspected of having a link with the attackers.
While the strong military presence reassured local people, many deplored the consequences of the attacks, notably for tourism in the region. Years of jihadist attacks have ravaged the economies of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
